Józef Piłsudski's Cult Of Personality
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A
cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...
developed around the figure of
Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...
, a Polish military commander and politician, in the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
and has continued ever since despite his death in 1935. At first, it was propagated by the Polish state's
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
, describing Piłsudski as a masterful strategist and political visionary. It survived decades of repression during the communist rule of Poland. In modern Poland, Piłsudski is recognized as an important and a largely positive figure in Polish history.


Origins

Piłsudski's popularity, described as a
cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...
,. was tied to his role in regaining Polish independence after the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.. and his leadership in the subsequent
Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...
. He had, however, already been a popular figure even before the start of the war.. Piłsudski seized power in Poland again in 1926 after his May Coup that year.. Piłsudski was not primarily interested in cultivating the cult himself, which was done by others, particularly after his death... His funeral in 1935 became a major state ceremony, and it became a sign of things to come, as Piłsudski's followers, known as Piłsudskiites, attempted to turn his legend into one of the bases to legitimate their grip on power in the Polish state. Numerous initiatives honouring Piłsudski's name were created, which were so numerous that the Main Committee for Commemorating the Memory of Marshal Józef Piłsudski had to curb some of the more outlandish initiatives (such as the proposal to rename
Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
to Piłsudski's child nickname, Ziuk). In 1938, the Polish Parliament passed a decree criminalising any defamation of Piłsudski.. Piłsudski's cult is tied to
Polish Independence Day Independence Day () is a national day in Poland celebrated on to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic in 1918 from the German Empire, German, Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian and ...
, as the date of November 11 was also the date of Piłsudski's seizing power for the first time in the newly-independent Poland. In 1937, the Polish Parliament officially declared November 11 as a national holiday celebrating regaining independence and stated that "for all time
t should be T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is de ...
associated with the great name of Józef Piłsudski". Initially, the celebration of Poland's regaining statehood was also a celebration of Piłsudski and the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
, but that relation has lost some of its strength with the progression of time.. Despite those efforts, his cult began to wane shortly after his death, according to some, as early as 1937. Piłsudski's cult was not universal and was opposed by several factions from the very first days of its emergence; the most notable of its early opponents included the ''
endecja National Democracy (, often abbreviated as ND or known as ''Endecja''; ) was a Polish political movement that operated from the second half of the 19th century, during the partitions of Poland, until the end of the Second Polish Republic. It e ...
'' political faction, opponents of the pro-Piłsudski ''
sanacja Sanation (, ) was a Polish political movement that emerged in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May Coup (Poland), May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and gained influence following the coup. In 1928, its political activists went on to fo ...
'' faction. Critics of Piłsudski faced some persecution from the state and its supporters.. The cult was particularly strong in the Polish Army. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish Armed Forces, Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Allies of World War II, Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its Axis powers, allies during World War II. Poli ...
continued that tradition, with Piłsudski's memory being highly celebrated,. but many leaders of the
Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovere ...
, such as
Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Before World War I, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independenc ...
, were opposed to it. Piłsudski became even in his lifetime to a namesake of the
Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...
's gunboat ORP "Komendant Piłsudski" and of the motor transatlantic liner "Piłsudski". The latter, built in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, was the first Polish modern transatlantic liner, was launched in December 1934 and entered service in September 1935.


Later years

Piłsudski's cult was suppressed during the time of
communist Poland The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
, whose authorities attempted to portray him as a fraud, egoist and even a
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
and as responsible for much of the Poland's ills... The fond memory of Piłsudski persisted among the segments of Polish population, nonetheless, and he became an important figure for many
Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
activists, including
Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...
.. Piłsudski was also respected abroad. By the late 1980s, the Polish communists changed tack and attempted to integrate Piłsudski's popularity into their own propaganda but to little effect. At the time of the
fall of communism in Poland Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...
in 1989, the Polish Parliament in February that year restored 11 November as the Polish holiday (it had been abolished during communist period). In modern Poland, Piłsudski is recognized as an important and largely positive figure in Polish history, a patron of numerous streets and institutions.. He has been often recognized by Polish public in national surveys as the most influential Polish historical figures since the 1980s (prior data from communist era is not representative), but since the late 1990s, he has been supplanted in that ranking by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
.. Paweł Kusiak argues that it is the 1990s which represent the
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
of Piłsudski's popularity.. Piłsudski's cult and legend is still present in Polish political and cultural discourse; for example, Piłsudski was declared as the most influential politician by both
Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...
and
Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...
in the
2005 Polish presidential election Presidential elections were held in Poland on 9 October and 23 October 2005. The outgoing President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, had served the two five-year terms allowed under the constitution and was unable to stand for a third term. Le ...
,. and he was positively referenced by Polish president
Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who was the fifth president of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski previously served as Ministry of National Defence (Poland), Minister of National Defence ...
in his electoral campaign in 2010.. However, there are groups in the modern Polish society that are highly critical of Piłsudski and his legacy.. In 2014, a monument to Józef Piłsudski was erected in Chisinau . Author: Moldovan sculptor Veaceslav Jiglitchi.


See also

*
Piłsudski's colonels Piłsudski's colonels, and in the Polish Army (particularly during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1920, prior to Piłsudski's 1923 resignation as Chief of the Polish General Staff). They had held key, if not necessarily the highest, military r ...
* Józef Piłsudski Park * Edward Rydz-Śmigły's cult of personality


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


Further reading

* * Cichoracki, Piotr
Naczelny Komitet Uczczenia Pamięci Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego 1935-1939 : mechanizmy działania / Piotr Cichoracki.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilsudski, Jozef's cult of personality
Cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...
Pilsudski Pilsudski's cult of personality Pilsudski's cult of personality Society of the Second Polish Republic Propaganda in Poland